Critical-point scaling function for the specific heat of a Ginzburg-Landau superconductor

If the zero-field transition in high temperature superconductors such as YBa_2Cu_3O_7-\delta is a critical point in the universality class of the 3-dimensional XY model, then the general theory of critical phenomena predicts the existence of a critical region in which thermodynamic functions have a characteristic scaling form. We report the first attempt to calculate the universal scaling function associated with the specific heat, for which experimental data have become available in recent years. Scaling behaviour is extracted from a renormalization-group analysis, and the 1/N expansion is adopted as a means of approximation. The estimated scaling function is qualitatively similar to that observed experimentally, and also to the lowest-Landau-level scaling function used by some authors to provide an alternative interpretation of the same data. Unfortunately, the 1/N expansion is not sufficiently reliable at small values of N for a quantitative fit to be feasible.Comment: 20 pages; 4 figure

Thrombembolische Komplikationen nach Sprunggelenkprothesenimplantation

Zusammenfassung: Einleitung: Der endoprothetische Ersatz des oberen Sprunggelenks (OSG) wird zunehmend als therapeutische Option bei Patienten mit fortgeschrittenen degenerativen Veränderungen des OSG angewendet. Es gibt jedoch wenige Angaben in der aktuellen Literatur über die Inzidenz der thrombembolischen Komplikationen. Aus diesem Grund haben wir eine Literaturreview mit folgenden Fragestellungen durchgeführt: Thrombembolieprophylaxe und Inzidenz der postoperativen Thrombose/Embolie nach endoprothetischem Ersatz des OSG. Außerdem haben wir die Inzidenz thrombembolischer Komplikationen in unserem Patientenkollektiv evaluiert. Methoden: Die systematische Literaturreview wurde unter Verwendung von gängigen Datenbanken der medizinischen Literatur durchgeführt. Folgende Angaben wurden berücksichtigt: Methode und Dauer der Thrombembolieprophylaxe und Dokumentation einer Thrombose/Embolie als postoperative Komplikation. Die Inzidenz thrombembolischer Komplikationen wurde in unserem Patientenkollektiv mit 964 Prothesen des OSG evaluiert. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden 21 klinische Studien für die systemische Literaturreview eingeschlossen. Die Inzidenz thrombembolischer Komplikationen lag zwischen 0,0 und 4,8 %. Die Inzidenz der symptomatischen tiefen Beinvenenthrombose betrug in unserem Patientenkollektiv 3,4 %. Es wurden keine Lungenembolien diagnostiziert. Alle Patienten erhielten niedermolekulares Heparin (Dalteparin) als Thrombembolieprophylaxe. Schlussfolgerung: Die Inzidenz der thrombembolischen Komplikationen in unserem Patientenkollektiv war vergleichbar mit der Inzidenz von Patienten mit endoprothetischem Ersatz des Knie- oder Hüftgelenks oder einer Arthrodese des OSG. Wir empfehlen die Thrombembolieprophylaxe mit einem niedermolekularen Heparin nach endoprothetischem Ersatz des OS

NMR and NQR Fluctuation Effects in Layered Superconductors

We study the effect of thermal fluctuations of the s-wave order parameter of a quasi two dimensional superconductor on the nuclear spin relaxation rate near the transition temperature Tc. We consider both the effects of the amplitude fluctuations and the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase fluctuations in weakly coupled layered superconductors. In the treatment of the amplitude fluctuations we employ the Gaussian approximation and evaluate the longitudinal relaxation rate 1/T1 for a clean s-wave superconductor, with and without pair breaking effects, using the static pair fluctuation propagator D. The increase in 1/T1 due to pair breaking in D is overcompensated by the decrease arising from the single particle Green's functions. The result is a strong effect on 1/T1 for even a small amount of pair breaking. The phase fluctuations are described in terms of dynamical BKT excitations in the form of pancake vortex-antivortex (VA) pairs. We calculate the effect of the magnetic field fluctuations caused by the translational motion of VA excitations on 1/T1 and on the transverse relaxation rate 1/T2 on both sides of the BKT transitation temperature T(BKT)<Tc. The results for the NQR relaxation rates depend strongly on the diffusion constant that governs the motion of free and bound vortices as well as the annihilation of VA pairs. We discuss the relaxation rates for real multilayer systems where the diffusion constant can be small and thus increase the lifetime of a VA pair, leading to an enhancement of the rates. We also discuss in some detail the experimental feasibility of observing the effects of amplitude fluctuations in layered s-wave superconductors such as the dichalcogenides and the effects of phase fluctuations in s- or d-wave superconductors such as the layered cuprates.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figure

Accurate Atmospheric Parameters at Moderate Resolution Using Spectral Indices: Preliminary Application to the MARVELS Survey

Studies of Galactic chemical and dynamical evolution in the solar neighborhood depend on the availability of precise atmospheric parameters (Teff, [Fe/H] and log g) for solar-type stars. Many large-scale spectroscopic surveys operate at low to moderate spectral resolution for efficiency in observing large samples, which makes the stellar characterization difficult due to the high degree of blending of spectral features. While most surveys use spectral synthesis, in this work we employ an alternative method based on spectral indices to determine the atmospheric parameters of a sample of nearby FGK dwarfs and subgiants observed by the MARVELS survey at moderate resolving power (R~12,000). We have developed three codes to automatically normalize the observed spectra, measure the equivalent widths of the indices and, through the comparison of those with values calculated with pre-determined calibrations, derive the atmospheric parameters of the stars. The calibrations were built using a sample of 309 stars with precise stellar parameters obtained from the analysis of high-resolution FEROS spectra. A validation test of the method was conducted with a sample of 30 MARVELS targets that also have reliable atmospheric parameters from high-resolution spectroscopic analysis. Our approach was able to recover the parameters within 80 K for Teff, 0.05 dex for [Fe/H] and 0.15 dex for log g, values that are lower or equal to the typical external uncertainties found between different high-resolution analyzes. An additional test was performed with a subsample of 138 stars from the ELODIE stellar library and the literature atmospheric parameters were recovered within 125 K for Teff, 0.10 dex for [Fe/H] and 0.29 dex for log g. These results show that the spectral indices are a competitive tool to characterize stars with the intermediate resolution spectra.Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ. Abstract edited to comply with arXiv standards regarding the number of character

Atomic Force Microscopy of height fluctuations of fibroblast cells

We investigated the nanometer scale height fluctuations of 3T3 fibroblast cells with the atomic force microscope (AFM) under physiological conditions. Correlation between these fluctuations and lateral cellular motility can be observed. Fluctuations measured on leading edges appear to be predominantly related to actin polymerization-depolymerization processes. We found fast (5 Hz) pulsatory behavior with 1--2 nm amplitude on a cell with low motility showing emphasized structure of stress fibres. Myosin driven contractions of stress fibres are thought to induce this pulsation.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Observations and Modeling of Martian Auroras

peer reviewedObservations of planetary auroras form a new area of planetary exploration from space, especially for nonmagnetic planets since various kinds of auroras like Discrete, Proton and Diffuse auroras have been observed at Mars. We review the latest results of Martian auroras obtained by the instruments (1) SPICAM (Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars) aboard Mars Express (MEX) and (2) IUVS (the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph) on MAVEN (the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission). The MARSIS instrument (the Mars Advanced Radar for the Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) on MEX, in addition, exhibited strong ionizations in some electron density profiles, thus providing further evidence for the existence of Martian auroras. We review these MARSIS observations as well. In addition, we review various models of Martian auroras

Backward pion-nucleon scattering

A global analysis of the world data on differential cross sections and polarization asymmetries of backward pion-nucleon scattering for invariant collision energies above 3 GeV is performed in a Regge model. Including the $N_\alpha$, $N_\gamma$, $\Delta_\delta$ and $\Delta_\beta$ trajectories, we reproduce both angular distributions and polarization data for small values of the Mandelstam variable $u$, in contrast to previous analyses. The model amplitude is used to obtain evidence for baryon resonances with mass below 3 GeV. Our analysis suggests a $G_{39}$ resonance with a mass of 2.83 GeV as member of the $\Delta_{\beta}$ trajectory from the corresponding Chew-Frautschi plot.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure

Cosmological Black Holes

In this paper we propose a model for the formation of the cosmological voids. We show that cosmological voids can form directly after the collapse of extremely large wavelength perturbations into low-density black holes or cosmological black holes (CBH). Consequently the voids are formed by the comoving expansion of the matter that surrounds the collapsed perturbation. It follows that the universe evolves, in first approximation, according to the Einstein-Straus cosmological model. We discuss finally the possibility to detect the presence of these black holes through their weak and strong lensing effects and their influence on the cosmic background radiation.Comment: 14 pages, new completely revised version, to appear on GR

Discord in the family Sparidae (Teleostei): divergent phylogeographical patterns across the Atlantic-Mediterranean divide

The Strait of Gibraltar has been proposed to be the divide between two marine biogeographical regions, the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic. Intraspecific studies have shown, for several of the examined species, a reduction of gene flow between the two basins. The present study examines genetic variation at nuclear and mitochondrial loci in five marine teleost species belonging to the family Sparidae. Four samples for each species were analysed spanning the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean. For all individuals 17 allozyme loci were scored and a combined single strand conformation polymorphism-sequencing approach was used to survey approximately 190 bp of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region. All five species share similar biological features. For three species, namely Lithognathus mormyrus, Spondyliosoma cantharus, and Dentex dentex, large mtDNA divergence was observed between Atlantic and Mediterranean samples. Little or no mtDNA differentiation was found in the other two species, Pagrus pagrus and Pagellus bogaraveo. Allozyme data revealed strong differentiation when comparing Atlantic and Mediterranean samples of L. mormyrus and D. dentex, moderate for P. pagrus, and no differentiation for P. bogaraveo and S. cantharus. These results provide evidence for a sharp phylogeographical break (sensu Avise) between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean for two (or possibly three) sparid species of the five investigated. At the same time, the obtained results for the other two species raise the question on which ecological/historical factors might have caused the observed discrepancy in the geographical distribution of genetic variation among otherwise biologically similar species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Matter power spectrum and the challenge of percent accuracy

Future galaxy surveys require one percent precision in the theoretical knowledge of the power spectrum over a large range including very nonlinear scales. While this level of accuracy is easily obtained in the linear regime with perturbation theory, it represents a serious challenge for small scales where numerical simulations are required. In this paper we quantify the precision of present-day N -body methods, identifying main potential error sources from the set-up of initial conditions to the measurement of the final power spectrum. We directly compare three widely used N -body codes, Ramses, Pkdgrav3, and Gadget3 which represent three main discretisation techniques: the particle-mesh method, the tree method, and a hybrid combination of the two. For standard run parameters, the codes agree to within one percent at k≤1 hMpc −1 and to within three percent at k≤10 hMpc −1. We also consider the bispectrum and show that the reduced bispectra agree at the sub-percent level for k≤2 hMpc −1 . In a second step, we quantify potential errors due to initial conditions, box size, and resolution using an extended suite of simulations performed with our fastest code Pkdgrav3. We demonstrate that the simulation box size should not be smaller than L=0.5 h −1 Gpc to avoid systematic finite-volume effects (while much larger boxes are required to beat down the statistical sample variance). Furthermore, a maximum particle mass of M p =10 9 h −1 M ⊙ is required to conservatively obtain one percent precision of the matter power spectrum. As a consequence, numerical simulations covering large survey volumes of upcoming missions such as DES, LSST, and Euclid will need more than a trillion particles to reproduce clustering properties at the targeted accuracy